Monday, December 31, 2012
Seventh Christmas Day
Numbers 24:17b A star will come out of Jacob; a scepter will rise out of Israel.
HAIL THE STAR
Does Christmas change anything? Some might say, "Not at all! I had problems in my life before the holiday and I have the same problems afterward. Christmas didn't make things any better!"
But is it really true that Christ's birth doesn't make a difference? Was it really the case that nothing was changed after Mary's son had been born? Of course not. At Jesus' birth long-standing promises and prophecies were fulfilled. God's word was validated and proved right. At Jesus' birth God appeared in the flesh-- to live and die in our place. The writer to the Hebrews says, "Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death-- that is, the devil--" Christ's birth, in fact, makes a great deal of difference!
Therefore, "Oh, rejoice, ye Christians, loudly, For our joy hath now begun; Wondrous things our God hath done!" Yes, rejoice! Even if the earthly trials you faced on December 24th did not vanish entirely by the 26th, don't you know that Christmas has made a difference for you-- for everyone? Don't walk away downcast, but heed the invitation:
Come, then, banish all your sadness,
One and all, Great and small;
Come with songs of gladness.
Love Him who with love is glowing;
Hail the Star Near and far
Light and joy bestowing.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 77:8)
